Sr. Direct Purchasing Analyst

Panasonic • De Soto, KS

5h • Onsite

About The Position

Join us at Panasonic Energy as we expand to De Soto, Kansas, where we’re building the world’s largest lithium-ion battery factory. This is an exciting opportunity to grow your career while contributing to the future of electric vehicles. As part of our team, you’ll help push the limits of battery technology, enhancing performance and efficiency in sustainable transportation.
Our state-of-the-art facility, just outside the Kansas City Metro, will be a hub for innovation in green energy solutions. If you're passionate about sustainability and eager to contribute to the electric vehicle revolution, we invite you to be part of our dynamic team. Join us and make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation.
Job Summary:
The Senior Direct Purchasing Analyst is responsible for leading complex direct material procurement activities to ensure uninterrupted production, optimized inventory levels, and strong supplier performance. This role drives strategic purchasing initiatives, leads cross-functional alignment efforts, and delivers data-driven insights that improve cost, service, and operational efficiency. The Senior Analyst serves as a subject matter expert in SAP and procurement systems, proactively identifying and implementing process enhancements. Additionally, this role coaches and mentors junior analysts, strengthening team capability and supporting organizational growth.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Finance, Operations Management, Engineering, or a related field. Relevant work experience may be substituted for required education.
• Minimum 7+ years of progressive experience in Procurement, Supply Chain, or Procure-to-Pay (P2P) environments
• Advanced SAP Purchasing and Supply Chain system expertise
• Extensive experience in direct materials procurement within a manufacturing or production environment
• Demonstrated experience managing complex supplier relationships and performance improvement initiatives
• Strong analytical and financial acumen, including cost analysis and working capital optimization
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence change in complex environments
• Demonstrated mentoring, coaching, or informal leadership experience
• Advanced Excel skills; strong PowerPoint presentation capabilities; experience with reporting and analytics tools
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with executive-level presentation ability
• Must have working-level knowledge of the English language, including reading, writing, and speaking English
• Alignment to Panasonic’s seven (7) core principles (contribution to society, fairness and honesty, cooperation and team spirit, untiring effort for improvement, courtesy and humility, adaptability, gratitude)

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA), Supply Chain Management, Operations, Finance, or related field
• Professional certifications such as CPIM, CSCP, or CPSM
• 10+ years of experience in Procurement, Supply Chain, or P2P functions
• Experience leading strategic sourcing initiatives or supporting contract negotiations
• Professional certification (e.g., CPIM, CSCP, CPSM)
• Experience with advanced data visualization tools such as Tableau
• Demonstrated experience driving digital transformation or system implementation projects

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end management of complex or high-value raw material categories, ensuring alignment with production, cost, and working capital objectives
• Oversee direct materials suppliers, ensuring on-time delivery, logistics coordination, goods receipt accuracy, and issue resolution
• Maintain and optimize target inventory levels, balancing service, cost, and working capital objectives
• Proactively identify supply risks and develop mitigation strategies to prevent production disruptions
• Serve as SAP Purchasing subject matter expert (SME), ensuring system accuracy, compliance, and best practice utilization
• Resolve complex order, delivery, invoicing, and system discrepancies across suppliers and internal stakeholders
• Lead performance analysis of PSI, purchase orders, supplier OTIF, inventory turns, and cost metrics
• Develop and present KPI dashboards and executive-level reporting to leadership
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across purchasing and P2P workflows, leveraging technology and automation
• Partner with IT and technology teams to enhance purchasing systems, reporting capabilities, and data integrity
• Identify cost savings, cost avoidance, and process optimization opportunities
• Coach, mentor, and develop Direct Purchasing Analysts (I, II, III)
• Provide training on SAP purchasing processes, reporting tools, and best practices
• Review and provide guidance on complex transactions, supplier escalations, and cross-functional challenges
• Support onboarding and skill development of new team members
• Lead cross-functional coordination with Operations, Planning, Logistics, Engineering, Quality, IT, Legal, Risk, and Sourcing teams to ensure supply continuity and agreement execution
• Influence stakeholders at multiple organizational levels to drive alignment and resolve competing priorities
• Represent Direct Purchasing in cross-functional initiatives and strategic supply discussions
• Ensure purchasing activities comply with corporate policies, supplier agreements, financial controls, and audit requirements
• Maintain accurate and compliant documentation within SAP and related systems
• Support supplier risk assessment, business continuity planning, compliance monitoring, and internal/external audit requirements to ensure operational resilience and governance alignment

Benefits

• Health Benefits – Offering medical, dental, vision, prescription plans, plus Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account options.
• Voluntary Benefits – Life, accident, critical illness, disability, legal, identity theft, and pet insurance.
• Panasonic Retirement Savings & Investment Plan (PRSIP) – 401(k) plan with company matching contributions and immediate vesting.
• Paid Time-Off Benefits – Vacation, holidays, personal days, sick leave, volunteer, and parental & caregiver leave.
• Educational Assistance – Tuition reimbursement for job-related courses after six months of service.
• Health Management and Wellbeing Programs –Lifestyle Spending Account, EAP, virtual health management, chronic condition, neurodiversity, tobacco cessation, substance abuse support, and life stage and fertility resources. Available to eligible employees starting the first day of the month following your start date. Eligibility for each benefit may vary based on employment status, location, and length of service.
• Employee Recognition Program - High5 employee recognition and awards platform, quarterly and annual employee recognition
• Annual Bonus Program - Opportunity for an annual performance-based bonus.
• On-site Food Options: Several on-site cafes, plentiful snack and beverage kitchens, revolving on-site vendor visits and employee events.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees